Hello,
I am having a 2x12 built by J Designs, 3/4" Baltic birch sides and baffle, semi-open oval back. It will mostly be paired with a 100W Marshall JMP. Though I rarely play it cranked, I realize the 100w amp rules out a good number of the lower wattage speakers.
I play rock and roll and favor warm, classic tones vs. high gain crunch. Ideal tone would be articulate with a focused low end, chunky mids and a chimey top end. Breakup would be musical and not overly aggressive.
Anyone playing through a similar rig have recommendations? Not too interested in speculation of what "might" sound good based solely on sound clips...
Thanks!
Given your stated desires, here are my suggestions:
1. A pair of Blackhawks. If you can afford the AlNiCo, this will provide EXACTLY what you are looking for.
if not AlNiCo, then ...
2. A pair of ET65's ... very warm & musical, but not quite as loud as the models with the big (heavy) magnets.
3. A pair of Reaper HP's ...also very warm.
and if you don't mind mixing speakers,
4. A Blackhawk & a Reaper HP ... a lot of AlNiCo goodness for less $$ ... this combo sounds just like a boutique Celestion Alnico Blue/G12H30 cab ... and it can take 100 watts!
5. An ET65 & a Retro 30 ... of the bunch, this combo will have just a little more sparkle on top than any of the others.
Hope this helps, please post back here with your results!
Thanks so much Vaughn. Agreed about the Alnico's but the pair is too pricey for me at the moment. I do like the idea of mixing and will try option 4 if $ permits.
Another combo question.. .I really like the G12c/s demo tones - articulate and lots of sparkle. Would it pair well with an Invader or Retro 30 or are they too different?
Hey Vaughan,
Quick clarification... I am going with the Blackhawk and Reaper HP combo. Were you suggesting a 100w Blackhawk or a 50w Blackhawk? My amp is 100 watts but never gets pushed more than halfway. IS there a big diference tonally between the two? Does one pair better with the Reaper HP than the other.
I plan on running them in parallel at 8ohms.
Thanks.
Regular blackhawk should be good for you ... you'll loose a little top end and nimble touch response in the HP ...
Hello, im in the same condition as above, I already have a veteran30, pairing it with the blackhawk as above, what would change respect the reaper?
The main thing the Alnico Blackhawk would bring to the table is the characteristic Alnico compression and smoothing of the top end, especially when driven hard. The tone of the Reaper HP & the Blackhawk are, otherwise, very similar.